Female gender, dissatisfaction with weight, and number of IBD related surgeries as independent risk factors for eating disorders among patients with inflammatory bowel diseases

BACKGROUND: The prevalence and risk factors of eating disorders among patients with IBD are poorly described in existing literature. Early recognition and intervention may influence clinical outcomes in both physical and mental health. The primary aims of this study were to describe the prevalence and identify risk factors for eating disorders among patients with IBD using a validated questionnaire, the EAT-26. METHODS: The EAT-26 was administered via email as an anonymous, unpaid, online survey to 1589 patients with an electronic medical record coded diagnosis of IBD (ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease) who had visited our Digestive Health Center in the last 3 years. Demographics and IBD characteristics were also included in our survey. A score of 20 or higher on the EAT-26 portion of the survey was considered a positive screen for eating disorder risk. RESULTS: Fifteen (4.8%) survey participants screened positively for ED risk. These 15 participants who screened positively had statistically significant differences in self-identified gender (93% female, p = 0.031), happiness with current weight (80% dissatisfied with their current weight and trying to lose weight, p < 0.01), prior eating disorder diagnosis (20%, p < 0.01), and number of IBD related surgeries (27% having 3 or more, p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies independent risk factors for eating disorder risk in patients with IBD including female gender, dissatisfaction with current weight, number of IBD related surgeries, and history of prior eating disorder diagnosis. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12876-022-02526-0.